A tough welcome back

Jake Kean can't wait to face his former club Derby County this Sunday.

Rovers kick off the 2013-14 campaign at Pride Park with the young stopper relishing the chance to face the Rams, a club he spent seven years with.

"I'm really looking forward to it, it has been a good pre-season for us," said the 22-year-old.

"We had a good test against Everton last Saturday so everyone is just looking forward to getting the season under way."

Kean knows that it won't be an easy task but believes Rovers have to get up to speed quickly with the games coming thick and fast.

"It will be a difficult start, we've four games in the space of two weeks," added Kean. "So it is a tough welcome back.

"We start with Derby, then at Carlisle before we play Nottingham Forest at home so it will be a tough opening week for us.

"It is a tough league, everyone knows that, anyone can beat anybody on the day.

"So to get off to a good start is is going to be massively important, but at the same time we still need to concentrate on one game at a time."

The goalkeeper believes Rovers are better placed to tackle the demands of the Sky Bet Championship this season after last year's turbulent times.

"It was a bit of a reality check last season, a lot of the lads weren't used to the Championship and didn't really know what it was about with the games coming thick and fast.

"So I think we've got a better understanding this time around, we've got lads that want to be here, that want to play and want to push the team forward."

Tickets will be on sale at Pride Park on the day of the game from 2pm at the Away Ticket Office, supporters should note that there is a price increase on the day so it is advisable to get them in advance from Rovers. Full details can be found here.